


Science is Nothing Compared to You

by charlesdarwininthetardis



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: But mostly fluff, Fluff, M/M, New Year's Eve, Reunion Fic, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 23:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2830427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlesdarwininthetardis/pseuds/charlesdarwininthetardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The wind out of the desert was constant. I felt it. You felt it. A shiver in the midday heat. A crackle in the radio broadcast. A constancy in your immune system.</p><p>It was December, and nothing was different...</p><p>Until Cecil receives a surprise guest in his studio while recording his New Year's Eve broadcast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Science is Nothing Compared to You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mglouise97](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mglouise97/gifts).



> Honestly, what with canon being what it is right now, I think we're all in need of some happy Cecilos right now. And what time for Carlos to come back than on New Year's Eve, the perfect time for restarts and new beginnings?

The wind out of the desert was constant. I felt it. You felt it. A shiver in the midday heat. A crackle in the radio broadcast. A constancy in your immune system.  
  
It was December, and nothing was different.  
  
Cecil still went in to the station early every morning to give his daily broadcast to the citizens of Night Vale, and he still left late every night to avoid spending any more time than he had to in the home he used to share with Carlos, who was still trapped in the mysterious desert otherworld.  
  
Or not trapped. Stuck. Researching? Visiting? Whatever. Cecil had promised Carlos that he would stop saying that his boyfriend was "trapped," but he kept forgetting. It had been six months since the doors had disappeared. That's a pretty long time for a vacation. Without his boyfriend.  
  
So while Carlos was researching science in the desert otherworld, Cecil was going through the motions of his life and work in Night Vale, day in and day out.  
  
Like right now. Cecil was sitting at his desk and writing his report for that evening, as usual. He glanced at the watch on his wrist (a present from Carlos on their one-month anniversary) and sighed. It was seven o'clock on December 31st, five hours until the New Year. And he had no one to celebrate with.  
  
They had talked on the phone last night, but Carlos hadn't been any closer to finding the door to get back home. He seemed genuinely sorry that he wouldn't be home in time for New Year's Eve, but Cecil somehow had a feeling that Carlos was enjoying his science far more than searching for an old oak door.  
  
A knock on the door distracted Cecil from his dark thoughts. He glanced up, peering at the intern who stood outside the glass door.  
  
He got up and answered the door. "What do you want?" He asked wearily, rubbing his eyes.  
  
The intern (Cecil had stopped learning their names: There was such a high intern turnover rate, and what was the point, honestly) squeaked at Cecil's palpable bad mood, and then pointed at the watch on his wrist. "Your show starts in ten minutes, Mr. Palmer."  
  
Cecil glanced down at his watch and swore at the ancient gods about the inconsistency of time in this godforsaken city, the city that had taken Carlos away from him, but nodded at the intern and went to go make last minute preparations for his next broadcast.  
  
Which, of course, wouldn't be any different from any other broadcast he had given recently. News happened, and he reported it. Day in and day out.  
  
Nothing interesting ever happened in Night Vale anymore, at least, not since Carlos had left.  
  
Or if it did, Cecil couldn't really bring himself to care.

\-----

"So remember, listeners, the time for running is over. The New Year is coming, and it is coming quickly." Cecil was whispering into his microphone when the door to his studio opened.

He was only about two-thirds of the way through his broadcast, and everyone at the radio station knew not to disturb him when he was working, especially when he was broadcasting. So this was an unexpected development.  
  
But it was also one he really didn't want to deal with. As time slowly ticked by, he was becoming increasingly anxious as the New Year approached and Carlos did not, and so he really didn’t want to deal with anything unless he absolutely had to. He knew his fretfulness was silly. He knew Carlos wouldn't be home in time to watch City Hall burn down this year. But Cecil couldn't help impatiently hoping for Carlos, even though he knew there was nothing he could do to hasten his return.  
  
Although, Cecil supposed that he _could_ do something about this unwanted intruder.  
  
"Excuse me," he growled in his soft baritone as he slowly turned around to face the door, "But I am in the middle of a very important broadcast-"  
  
He stopped mid-sentence as he saw who was standing before him.  
  
An incredibly handsome man with overgrown hair and a tattered lab coat stood in the doorway. He blushed as he met Cecil's intense violet gaze and said softly "I can see that, but, I just got back. And, after everything that happened, I just wanted to see you."  
  
Cecil rose to his feet in shock and stared speechless at the man for a second, a rarity for the Voice of Night Vale. He worked his jaw for a minute, trying to get something resembling a coherent sentence past his lips, but all he could manage was a half-strangled sounding gasp: "Carlos?!"  
  
All across the town, the two men could dimly hear everyone who was listening to the radio let out a hearty cheer for the two lovers, reunited at last, but they were not focused on them. They were focused on each other.  
  
Carlos the Scientist - Cecil's boyfriend Carlos - was standing in front of him for the first time since Carlos entered The House That Doesn't Exist almost eight months ago. Cecil stared at Carlos, unbelieving, hardly daring to move because that would no doubt destroy this beautiful dream.  
  
But then Carlos glanced at Cecil's microphone, cleared his throat, and the spell was broken. He asked quietly, "Cecil, don't you have a show to be doing? I can wait. God knows you have."  
  
Cecil blinked in surprise as he returned to reality, a reality that he and Carlos now shared. "Wha-? Right. Right. My show. Yes." He muttered as he leaned down to speak into the microphone.  
  
"Listeners, it appears that an eagerly-awaited surprise guest has now appeared in my studio, and as he demands my attention, I must give it to him." To this, Carlos let out a snort of protest, but Cecil ignored him and carried on.  
  
"And so, dear listeners, in this moment of great joy, I take you now… to the weather."  
  
He keyed up that day's weather broadcast to play, and turned around to face Carlos, who was gazing at Cecil almost as if he couldn't believe that he was there.  
  
Although, it's not like Cecil could believe it himself, either.  
  
They stood listening to the weather for a moment, neither of them quite willing to fill the silence. Although they had spoken over the phone only the night before, it seemed like a foreign treasure to hear each other's voice in person, and not over a phone line.  
  
But every silence must be broken eventually. So Cecil finally reached a hesitant hand out to Carlos's lab coat, just to make sure that he still wasn't hallucinating. But when his hand actually met the stiff fabric, he cried out in relief and clutched it with his whole hand, pulling Carlos into a giant hug.  
  
He nestled his face into Carlos's shoulder and whimpered happily, "It's you. Oh, thank the ancient gods, it's you."  
  
Carlos leaned his head against Cecil's and kissed him. He smiled whilst stroking his hair. "Yes, Cecil. It's me. I'm finally home."  
  
He patted Cecil's head for a moment more until the radio host pulled back and held Carlos at arms' length to study him. Cecil saw that Carlos’s clothes were ratty from eight months without a change of clothes, and he was growing a mighty beard, a direct result from eight months without a razor.  
  
He also stunk. From eight months without a proper shower.  
  
But his hair was longer than Cecil had ever seen it, and more perfect than ever. And his eyes were alight with love, both for science and the universe and for Cecil and Night Vale.  
  
Even though Carlos had been through many trials in the desert, he was still Carlos. He still loved Cecil. And Cecil still loved him.  
  
Carlos blushed and pulled Cecil back into their embrace. "It's been so long, Cecil. God, I missed you. I missed you so much."  
  
Cecil, who was crying giant tears of joy at this point, hiccupped against Carlos's shoulder. "But you had your science."  
  
"Yes, but science is nothing compared to you. You are so much more beautiful, and fascinating, and incredible than science could be." Carlos paused for a moment, considering what he had just said. "Which is saying a lot, because have you ever seen a supernova?" He sighed deeply, and Cecil could feel it through their embrace.  
  
"I can't say that I have ever seen a supernova, Carlos," he murmured.  
  
"Well then, I'll have to show you sometime, on our next date. They're amazing. But they’re not nearly as amazing as you."  
  
"That sounds like heaven." Cecil sighed, breathing the Carlos’ scent in deeply. But the deep romanticism of the moment was ruined by the strong scents of sand, sun, and body odor, and Cecil came up coughing.  
  
Carlos quickly pulled away, concerned for his boyfriend. "Cecil. What's the matter?" he asked, alarmed.  
  
Cecil cleared his throat and quickly shook his head. "Nothing. I'm so glad you're home, Carlos. It's just, it's been eight months. Since I've seen you, since you've been home, since you've seen anything resembling civilization..." And from the way that Cecil glanced meaningfully at Carlos, Carlos knew exactly what Cecil was implying.  
  
"Oh, oh right!" Carlos stuttered. "I haven't been home yet.  I just got back, and the first thing I wanted to do was come find you. But I can go and clean up, if you’d like. Besides, you have a broadcast you need to finish." He nodded meaningfully toward the speaker on the wall, where the weather was almost finishing.  
  
"Yeah, Carlos, that sounds good," Cecil murmured, still not quite believing that Carlos was standing in front of him. "I'll meet you at home when I finish the broadcast. And then, well, tonight's New Year's Eve. Would you like to join me in watching the annual Burning of City Hall? Or if you're tired and don't want to go out, that's okay too. But I would like to spend tonight with you."  
  
Carlos smiled and leaned in to Cecil to give him a long, passionate kiss on the lips. "Cecil, that sounds... neat."

\-----

Cecil made it home half an hour later to find a freshly showered, dressed, and shaven Carlos waiting for him.

He hadn't really been able to concentrate on his broadcast once the weather had ended, knowing that Carlos was in town, but he gave his best effort, rushed through the end of the news, and then got out of the station as soon as he was physically able.  
  
Although it did help that he didn't run into anyone on the way home. No one said hello or tried to strike up a friendly conversation with the radio host, as was usual in Night Vale. But that was likely because they knew he was anxious to reach his destination. After all, they had all heard what had happened on the radio.  
  
But as Cecil walked up the drive to the ranch he shared with Carlos in the residential part of town, he reflected on how nice his home looked lit up at night, a rare sight since Carlos had been away. In the eight months that had passed since the failed Parade Day, the home that Cecil shared with Carlos had loomed dark and foreboding because Cecil rarely turned the lights on when he was home, not that he _was_ home very often.  
  
But now the lights were on again, and they shone like a beacon in the dark desert twilight, welcoming Cecil home to his lover's embrace.  
  
The scientist, having freshly combed his hair and donned a nice red plaid shirt and an evening lab coat, stood in the doorway to their shared abode. He smiled as he waited for Cecil, and then swept him into a hug and kiss once Cecil got close enough, to which the radio host laughingly obliged.  
  
Eventually, Carlos pulled away because he had an unfortunate dependence on oxygen, which he required for respiration purposes, but he took that opportunity to ask Cecil, "So tonight's the New Year, right?"  
  
Cecil nodded, confused that Carlos had to reaffirm that. The whole town had been making preparations since Christmas passed one week ago.  
  
"Well, time is weird over in that desert. Even weirder than in Night Vale! So I'm never quite sure what time it is here. But didn't you say that you wanted to go out tonight?" Carlos held up Cecil's watch to check the time, as he had previously given the radio host his only accurate timepiece in Night Vale for their one-month anniversary over a year ago. "It's nine o'clock now, and I'm sure you're hungry after your broadcast. Do you want to grab some pizza from Big Rico's and then head over to the City Center to watch the Burning of City Hall?"  
  
Cecil smiled and told Carlos, "That sounds fantastic. Just let me quickly get ready. I didn't really expect you to come home today."  
  
Carlos laughed and nodded, "I didn't either, but a lot can happen in a day. Let's get pizza, and I'll tell you everything while we are waiting for the clock to strike midnight."  
  
"Sounds good," Cecil pecked Carlos on the cheek and went inside to go put on nicer clothes, leaving Carlos to revel in the sheer notion that he was home at last. He was stroking the purple wood on the porch when Cecil finally came outside some minutes later, wearing his best tunic and furry pants: the same outfit he had worn on their first date. Carlos laughed and took Cecil's hand as they set off walking towards Big Rico's, which was usually located only a couple of streets over.  
  
Even though they had walked to Big Rico's Pizza several times before, the route changed slightly every time they attempted to go there. A new short cut would often crop up, or an old one would disappear, and sometimes homes appeared that Carlos would insist he had never seen before, but they could usually always find their way without getting too lost, as was the case tonight. And although the wheat and wheat by-products ban had hit all of the local Italian restaurants hard, while Gino's Italian Dining Experience and Bar was reduced to only being able to serve bloody Portobello mushrooms, somehow Big Rico's was still able to serve its customers pizza.  
  
Carlos still wasn't exactly sure he wanted to find out what was in it. But what you don't know can't hurt you, so he had long ago decided that this was one of those rare times when it was probably wiser not to ask questions and just go with it.  
  
Pizza in hand, Cecil and Carlos set off again to navigate through the constantly changing labyrinthine streets of Night Vale in an effort to make it to the City Center to eat their dinner and ring in the New Year as per traditional Night Vale fashion.  
  
When they finally found a bench to sit on in the plaza across from City Hall, they sat down, leaning against each other and eating their pizza to watch the already burning City Hall.  
  
Every year on New Year's Eve, the City Council sets the City Hall in Night Vale on fire so it will burn down to represent the departure of the previous year. The last flame burns out at 11:59 PM on December 31st, and then the ground rumbles, and the new City Hall rises out of the earth amid a flurry of fireworks at 12:00 AM on January 1st.  
  
Carlos saw the spectacle with Cecil last year, and he understands why it is the most popular event on New Year’s Eve, besides the fact that the Sheriff's Secret Police mandates it necessary to attend. Watching City Hall burn down in a multitude of colors (including a brilliant turquoise blue, which to Carlos’s knowledge, should be scientifically impossible) was way more interesting to watch than celebrities and drunken reporters on _Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest_ , which is what Carlos had done every year before he had moved to Night Vale.  
  
For a while, the two men enjoyed the pizza and the beautiful flames in silence until finally Cecil broke the silence.  
  
"Carlos?" He asked Carlos cautiously in his beautiful baritone. God, Carlos loved that voice.  
  
"Yeah, Cecil?" Carlos tried to ask around a bite of pizza, so it came out a little muffled.  
  
"How did you get home? Last night, you made it sound like you had no idea how to find that door."  
  
Carlos swallowed his bite of pizza and watched the flames alight on City Hall change colors from blood red, to yellow-green, to fuchsia, before finding the words to answer. "That's because last night I didn't know how to get home. But last night after talking to you, I realized how much I missed you."  
  
That statement had startled Cecil, so Carlos hastily tried to correct himself, "I mean, I always missed you while I was over there. But last night, after hearing you so excited about Janice's latest school production, I was filled with such an overwhelming sense of longing for you and for Night Vale that I felt like it was swallowing me alive, almost, and I knew that I needed to find that door.  
  
"So I looked harder than I ever had before. And eventually, I did find an oak door that was unsupported by any other structure, and I knew I had found my way back to Night Vale. I knew that the oak door led into Dog Park from the metal trees, obsidian walls, and hooded figures that awaited me on the other side. And I know that humans are not allowed in the Dog Park, and I also know that your Intern Dana was trapped in the Dog Park for months before escaping through the House that Doesn't Exist, but it was closer to home than I had been, so after I said goodbye to Doug and Alicia and the rest of the giant masked army, I went through the door anyway.  
  
"As I stepped through that door, the air changed, and I knew I was back in Night Vale. The air has a unique quality here, and it's hard to describe, but it's like the air here is simultaneously hot and cold, simultaneously dry and damp, and simultaneously light and dark, if those characteristics could be expressed through air quality.  
  
"And honestly, as soon as I breathed in that Night Vale air, all I wanted was to come home, to our home, and see you. And the hooded figures were kind of creepy, so I really wanted to get out of there."  
  
Cecil chuckled at Carlos's confession, but Carlos, embarrassed about letting that little fact slip, hurried on to complete his story.  
  
"But mostly, I just wanted to see you. So I still had a rope that Alicia had given me for climbing the mountain in that other desert, and I used it to scale the obsidian wall that surrounds the Dog Park and escape. Considering the time of day, and that the Night Vale Community Radio Station is much closer to the Dog Park than our house, I thought it was likely that you were there and decided to at stop the radio station to see you before going home.  
  
"After not having been home for over a year, my time (remember time moves slower in the desert otherworld than it does even in Night Vale), I felt like I couldn't wait even a couple of minutes more before seeing you. So I went to the radio station, and the intern there recognized me and waved me back to your studio. So I walked in and almost gave you a heart attack."  
  
Carlos chuckled at that last bit and grinned over at Cecil, who had been silently listening and absorbing Carlos's story the entire time he had been telling it. "So that was my day. How was yours?" the scientist asked, causing Cecil and Carlos both to explode with laughter.  
  
"It's... Great... Now that... You're here." Cecil gasped out between peals of laughter. He snuggled against Carlos and looked up at the scientist's face, alit with the reflection of City Hall's flames and his love for his boyfriend and his home.  
  
Carlos gazed back at the radio host's eyes, also alight with love and the reflection of multi-colored flames which were growing ever brighter as midnight rapidly approached. "Cecil, I just wanted to tell you-" he whispered, but he was cut off by the sudden absence of light in the plaza. He and Cecil turned to see that the flames of City Hall had all burned out, leaving only ashes in their wake.  
  
The two lovers watched as the ground rumbled and the new Night Vale City Hall rose slowly from the ground like a phoenix being reborn from its ashes. This new year, too, was being reborn, hopefully with more and better adventures for the scientist and the radio host than this last year had held.  
  
As fireworks began to fill the sky, celebrating another year survived and another year to survive, Carlos glanced back at Cecil, who was staring entranced at the sky.  
  
"Cecil?" Carlos asked, bringing the radio host's attention back down to his boyfriend.  
  
"Yes, my dearest Carlos?" Cecil murmured, his beautiful voice more vibration than sound.  
  
Carlos leaned closer against Cecil and whispered into his tunic. "Cecil. Scientifically speaking, I love you."  
  
Cecil smiled, and wrapped his arm around Carlos, admiring the different shades of his face in the ever-changing light of the fireworks, "I love you too, Carlos."  
  
Carlos sighed happily and spoke again. "Cecil?"  
  
"Yes, Carlos?"  
  
 "I promise I will never leave you like that again."

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas!
> 
> This was written for mglouise97 as part of the 2014 Welcome to Night Vale Secret Santa event. I hope you enjoyed your story :)


End file.
